-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Living near Wrigley Field has always felt magical to diehard Chicago Cubs fan Deb Gordils , who was born and raised in Wrigleyville , just blocks away from the famed ballpark .

The 53-year-old said her life has been intertwined with the ballpark . She spent most of her youth daydreaming that she 'd become the next shortstop for the Chicago Cubs , and she was devastated when she was told she could n't play Little League baseball because she was a girl . But that did n't lessen her undying love for the Friendly Confines .

`` I remember racing to the park after school to catch the last part of a game , '' Gordils said . When she was much younger , she would watch some of those games from a friend 's apartment window that had a view of the field . Similar apartments still exist today .

Gordils is one of many Chicagoans , baseball fans and historians who shared their memories and photos of the renowned ballpark with CNN iReport in honor of Wrigley Field turning 100 years old on April 23 .

The second oldest major league ballpark , Wrigley Field has become a cultural and historical institution in the Windy City since its opening in 1914 . From its outfield walls covered in ivy -- which was planted in the 1930s and has occasionally thwarted outfielders in their quest for the ball -- to its manual scoreboard , which no batted ball has ever hit , Wrigley Field retains much of its original charm .

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Gary Gillette , co-chair of the Society for American Baseball Research ballparks committee and a baseball writer , said the ballpark 's assimilation into the community is part of the secret . He said it 's the same for Boston 's Fenway Park , which celebrated 100 years in 2012 .

`` There 's a reason the neighborhood around Wrigley Field is called Wrigleyville . Wrigley Field is integrated into the neighborhood , '' he said . One of the park 's features that he attributes to its neighborliness is its lack of parking spaces . That 's right , no cars .

`` Wrigley and Fenway , they 're very tight knit . There 's very little parking , most people take mass transit or walk and that helps preserve them , '' he said .

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The Cubs ' lack of success may have actually helped preserve the park as well , said Wrigley expert Stuart Shea .

`` After World War II , the Cubs were a bad team for 20 years . And they did n't have a lot of attendance during that time , '' said Shea , who recently published an updated version of his book , `` Wrigley Field : The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines . ''

`` The fact that the Cubs were n't that good means there was n't pressure to move somewhere modern or bigger . ''

Howard Katz , a Boston-based psychologist said going to a ballpark evokes feelings of camaraderie , which can also explain why Wrigley Field has lasted . `` I think that gathering with large groups of people in spaces where we celebrate something larger than ourselves is very meaningful for us . There is a kind of admiration for being all we can be in terms of human achievement . ''

That communal experience transcends generations . Herschel Pollard said he felt like he had `` traveled through time '' when he visited Wrigley in 2012 to see the Cubs play the Astros .

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`` I loved knowing I was seeing the same sights , smelling the same smells , hearing the same sounds as every person who 's attended a game at Wrigley over the last 100 years , '' he said . `` Wrigley fulfilled every ballpark fantasy I had as a kid . This is how baseball should be seen . ''

At 100 years old , how much longer does it have left ? According to Shea , another 30 to 40 years before it will need some major upgrades .

`` The one thing I worry about is that if new scoreboards were added , then that will reduce the city view , and you will lose the feel that makes it special . That open view of the city is the one of the most important parts of the park , '' he said .

It adds to a sense of community that Gordils , now mother of two girls , said makes Wrigley Field irreplaceable .

`` I was born and raised around the ballpark . I attended school blocks away from the ballpark , and today my kids go to school blocks from the ballpark and my office is near Wrigley , '' she said .

`` It was really magical living around Wrigley field . It was -- and is -- always home . ''

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CNN 's Daphne Sashin contributed to this story .

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Chicago 's Wrigley Field turns 100 this year

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It 's the second oldest ballpark after Boston 's Fenway

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CNN readers shared their Wrigley memories on iReport

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What 's the secret to the park 's longevity ? Read on !